The Role of the University in Modern Society

President Odegaard here presents some stimulating thoughts for medical educators and for other members of the medical profession. Although a historian by profession, he has considerable familiarity with medical matters from his membership in the Citizens Commission on Graduate Medical Education (Millis Commission), the President''s National Advisory Commission on Health Manpower and the Natonal Advisory Health Council.     

Interruption of vector transmission by native vectors and “the art of the possible”

In a recent article in the Reader’s Opinion, advantages and disadvantages of the certification processes of interrupted Chagas disease transmission (American trypanosomiasis) by native vector were discussed. Such concept, accepted by those authors for the case of endemic situations with introduced vectors, has been built on a long and laborious process by endemic countries and Subregional Initiatives for Prevention, Control and Treatment of Chagas, with Technical Secretariat of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization, to create a horizon target and goal to concentrate priorities and resource allocation and actions. With varying degrees of sucess, which are not replaceable for a certificate of good practice, has allowed during 23 years to safeguard the effective control of transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi not to hundreds of thousands, but millions of people at risk conditions, truly “the art of the possible.”     

Optical recording of activity in the hamster gustatory cortex elicited by electrical stimulation of the tongue

Having been informed by the Dean of the School of Dental Medicineat the University of Connecticut Health Center that some ofthe data reported in the above article has been found to befabricated, the Editors of Chemical Senses hereby retract thispaper and discourage citations of it.     

Cytological localization of the maternal effect gene, tuh-1, in Drosophila melanogaster

Summary The sex-linked gene, tuh-1, produces a maternal effect that is associated with the tumorous head abnormality in Drosophila melanogaster. With the aid of various known deletions, tuh-1 has been localized to band 20A1-2 on the salivary chromosome map of the X.Work supported by grant GM 18664-01 from the National Institute of Health, U.S. Public Health Service     

The Organization for Disaster in British Columbia

Plans are being formulated for organizing an Emergency Health Service in British Columbia. The same organization that is being created to deal with civilian casualties after an enemy attack should, it is felt, be able to assist in major natural disasters. Such an organization will have to remain ready but inactive for long periods; therefore the responsibility for planning, organizing and directing this service has been given to the Health Branch, Provincial Department of Health Services and Hospital Insurance.A committee has been struck to advise the Health Branch, and a Director and a Health Supplies Officer have been appointed. Agreement has been reached as to who is to be assigned to work in the Emergency Health Service in the event of a nuclear attack, and sites have been selected for the stockpiling of medical equipment.The Province has been divided into zones, and Emergency Health Service Directors have been appointed for each zone. Their duties include, among many others, organizing Advanced Treatment Centres and Emergency Hospitals, and developing an Emergency Public Health Service, an Emergency Blood Transfusion Laboratory and a Mortuary Service.     

Derivation of the short form of the Oral Health Impact Profile in Spanish (OHIP-EE-14)

doi: 10.1111/j.1741‐2358.2012.00613.x
Derivation of the short form of the Oral Health Impact Profile in Spanish (OHIP‐EE‐14) Background and Objective: The Oral Health Impact Profile is the most frequently used and validated of the Oral Health Quality of Life instruments. Several short versions have been developed; and a validation of the OHIP‐49 in Spanish has been published. The objective was to develop the short version of the Oral Health Impact Profile in Spanish (OHIP‐EE‐14). Methods: Cross‐sectional study. One hundred and thirty‐one persons aged ≥60 years attending a social centre for the elderly, residents of a nursing home and persons seeking dental care at a dental school in Mexico City were interviewed and examined. The validity of each of the 49 questions was evaluated, and, to construct the short version, 14 items were selected. The perceived need for dental treatment, number of teeth, presence of coronal caries, root caries, presence of dental plaque and utilisation of removable prosthesis were measured. Internal consistency, repeatability and discriminant validity were calculated. Results: The OHIP‐EE‐14 was reliable (Cronbach’s‐α = 0.918, ICC = 0.825). Significant associations were found between OHIP‐EE‐14 and the number of teeth and perceived need for dental treatment. Conclusions: The OHIP‐EE‐14 is a reliable and valid instrument and can be used in subjects aged 60 years and over from Mexico City.     

Deficiency of dihydroxy acid dehydratase in the mito-chondria of the iv-1 mutants of Neurospora crassa

The isoleucine-valine requiring mutants of Neurospora crassa which map at the iv-1 locus lack, or have a very low level of activity for, the enzyme dihydroxy acid dehydratase in the mitochondrial fractions derived from them. This enzyme is, however, present in the soluble fractions of the mutant homogenates. The enzyme is present in both mitochondrial and soluble fractions from homogenates of wild-type and from homogenates of iv mutants blocked at other steps in the isoleucine-valine pathway.The work reported here was supported in part by grants GM 12323 and 5TO1-GM-00337-09 from the National Institutes of Health, United States Public Health Service, and by a grant from the Robert A. Welch Foundation.Recipient of Research Career Award 4-K-6-GM-18,383 from the National Institutes of Health, United States Public Health Service.     

Structure and function of the photosynthetic reaction center fromRhodobacter sphaeroides

The three-dimensional structure of the photosynthetic reaction center fromRhodobacter sphaeroides is described. The reaction center is a transmembrane protein that converts light into chemical energy. The protein has three subunits: L, M, and H. The mostly helical L and M subunits provide the scaffolding and the finely tuned environment in which the chromophores carry out electron transfer. The details of the protein-chromophore interactions are from studies of a trigonal crystal form that diffracted to 2.65-Å resolution. Functional studies of the multi-subunit complex by site-specific replacement of key amino acid residues are summarized in the context of the molecular structure.This work was supported in part by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health and Environmental Research, under Contract No. W-31-109-ENG-38 and by Public Health Service Grant GM36598.     

Effect of colchicine on the fine structure of the neuromuscular junction

Summary Repeated injections of colchicine into the forearms of normal adult newts led to the disappearance of microtubules within some nerves and a concomitant loss of specialized morphological features at the neuromuscular junction. Within 2 weeks, the postsynaptic folds decreased in height and number, became flattened and eventually disappeared. In addition, nerve terminals in drug-treated animals became separated from the muscle surface and were highly congested with masses of synaptic vesicles. The present findings show that colchicine has an effect on the structural integrity of the neuromuscular junction. These effects could be direct; secondary to retraction of the nerve from the muscle surface; or the result of interference with the proper transport and/or release of neurotrophic substances.Supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (GB 20902) and from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (TIGM-00105) and the National Cancer Institute (TICA-05055), National Institutes of Health, United States Public Health Service.     

Progress in the prevention and control of schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis

In the last two decades important progress has been made in the understanding the epidemiology and the disease burden of schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted nematodes infection. In addition, practical tools for disease control have been developed and a strategy for the prevention and control of morbidy of schistosomaisis and soil-transmitted nematodes infection has been endorsed by the World Health Organization. This paper presents the recent progress in the prevention and control of these infections: the estimates of chronic and subtle morbidity in high risk groups and the evidence that these chronic and severe sequelae of infections can be reversed by appropriate treatment; the use of anthelminthic drugs during pregnancy and lactation; the relevance to control morbidity due to these infections also in pre-school children; the efficacy of anthelminthic drugs and the possible threat of drug resistance; price, quality and accessibility of treatment by delivering drugs through the school system and ways of reaching also non-enrolled school-age children. Finally, the strategy, targets and recommendations of the World Health Organization for the control of schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted nematodes infection are described.     

Factors involved in the modulation of cell proliferation in vivo and in vitro: The role of fibroblast and epidermal growth factors in the proliferative response of mammalian cells

Summary The control of proliferation of mesoderm-derived cells by EGF and FGF has been examined taking, as an example, the vascular endothelium. The mechanisms by which cell proliferation can be brought to a stop in vivo and in vitro have been reviewed. Presented in the formal symposium on Mechanisms of Cellular Control at the 28th Annual Meeting of the Tissue Culture Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, June 6–9, 1977. This work was supported by Grants HL20-197 and HD 11082 from the National Institutes of Health, and VC-194 from the American Cancer Society. B. R. Zetter was supported by Fellowship 5-F32-CA05149-02 from the U.S. Public Health Service.     

The influence of introductory techniques on the formation of captive mangabey groups

Twenty seven sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys) were used in a series of experiments concerned with the effects of introductory technique upon group formation. The number of animals introduced, the number of animals resident and the age and sex characteristics of the newcomers and residents all influenced the nature of initial interactions. When preformed groups were introduced to each other another level of complexity was introduced inasmuch as the physical limitations of the test situation precluded permanent maintenance of two group structures. The reception of newcomers was similar to that described in macaque experiments but group integrative mechanisms were clearly still in progress at the conclusion of the experimental period. A well organized successful breeding group has emerged from these experiments.This research was supported by National Institutes of Mental Health grant 13864 and in part by National Institutes of Health grant FR-00165.     

From resistance to persistence: Insights of a mathematical model on the indiscriminate use of insecticide

The development of insecticide resistance is becoming a threat to many arboviruses control programs worldwide. While this has been attributed to the indiscriminate use of insecticide, a more theoretical study is apparently not available. Using in-silico experiments, we investigated the effects of two different policies: one used by the Brazilian Ministry of Health (which follows the World Health Organization protocol) and a more permissive one, akin to those employed by various gated communities and private companies. The results show that the public policy does not lead to resistance fixation. On the other hand, permissive application of adulticide, such as intensive domestic use mainly during epidemic periods, might lead to the fixation of a resistant population, even when resistance is associated with moderate fitness costs.     

Health status of the stands and the young growth in the native spruce forests at the ural foothills,the upper reaches of the Pechora River

Health status of trees was studied in five types of native spruce forests in the Pechora-Ilych Nature Biosphere Reserve. The study has shown that trees in the old-growth bilberry-spruce and fern-shamrock-spruce forests can be characterized as “healthy”, with damage index varying from 0.03 to 0.5. The haircap-moss spruce forest with damage index 0.7 is categorized as a “weakened stand”. Regeneration was pronounced in all forest types. Young growth (1500 to 4300 stems/ha) is mainly composed of conifers and is classified as “healthy”.     

Binding of PFOS to serum albumin and DNA: insight into the molecular toxicity of perfluorochemicals

Background  

Health risk from exposure of perfluorochemicals (PFCs) to wildlife and human has been a subject of great interest for understanding their molecular mechanism of toxicity. Although much work has been done, the toxigenicity of PFCs remains largely unknown. In this work, the non-covalent interactions between perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and serum albumin (SA) and DNA were investigated under normal physiological conditions, aiming to elucidate the toxigenicity of PFCs.     

On the cytotaxonomy of phasmids (Phasmatodea)

Summary A wide diversity in chromosome complement is found in two species of phasmids of the primitive group Prisopini—Prisopus ariadne Hebard and Prisopus berosus Westwood. P. ariadne has a diploid male complement of 28, comprising 13 pairs of relatively large mediokinetic autosomes and Neo XY sex chromosomes. P. berosus, 2n =49, has relatively small autosomes most of which are mediokinetic, and retains the XO—XX sex mechanism. Chromosomal polymorphism in this species is suggested by the presence of an unequal pair of autosomes and a structural differentiation in the X in one of two males studied.The relative amount of DNA per nucleus in male germ cells (Peulgen cytophotometry) shows a significant difference in total chromosomal content between the complements of the two species.These data are discussed with reference to the cytotaxonomy of phasmids.Supported in part by research grant G-4370 from the National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service.     

High concentrations of visfatin in the peripheral blood of patients with acute basal ganglia hemorrhage are associated with poor outcome

Higher plasma visfatin concentration has been associated with clinical outcomes of traumatic brain injury. No published information exists to date about change in plasma visfatin after intracerebral hemorrhage. This study included one hundred and twenty-eight healthy controls and 128 patients with intracerebral hemorrhage. The unfavorable outcome was defined as modified Rankin Scale score >2 at 6 months. The patients had higher plasma visfatin measurements than control subjects. Plasma visfatin levels were highly correlated with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score and plasma C-reactive protein levels in the patients. A multivariate analysis identified plasma visfatin level as an independent predictor for 6-month mortality and unfavorable outcome. According to receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the predictive value of the plasma visfatin concentration was similar to National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score. In a combined logistic-regression model, visfatin improved the predictive value of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score for 6-month unfavorable outcome. Thus, increased plasma visfatin level is associated with 6-month clinical outcomes after intracerebral hemorrhage.     

A model of the peripheral auditory system

Summary Recent electrophysiological data obtained from auditory nerve fibers of cats have made possible the formulation of a model of the peripheral auditory system that relates the all-or-none activity of these fibers to acoustic stimulation. The components of the model are intended to represent the major functional components of the peripheral system. These components are: (i) a linear mechanical system intended to represent the outer, middle, and mechanical parts of the inner ear; (ii) a transducer intended to represent the action of the sensory cells; and (iii) a model neuron whose properties are intended to represent the nerve excitation process. A general-purpose digital computer has been used to determine the response of the model to a variety of acoustic stimuli. These results have been compared with data obtained from auditory nerve fibers.This work was supported in part by the Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DA 36-039-AMC-03200(E); and in part by the National Science Foundation (Grant GP-2495), the National Institutes of Health (Grant MH-04737-05), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NsG-496); and by Research Grant NB-01344, National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness of the National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service.     

Call for papers oral and poster presentations are invited for the International Symposium: Exploring the Greet Lakes of the World: Food Web Dynamics,Health & Integrity

Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society

Call for papers oral and poster presentations are invited for the International Symposium: Exploring the Greet Lakes of the World: Food Web Dynamics, Health & Integrity     

Adrenergic innervation of the male reproductive ducts in some mammals

Summary The distribution of adrenergic nerves to the male reproductive ducts were studied by applying the highly specific method of Falck and Hillarp for the cellular demonstration of the adrenergic transmitter. In rats, guinea-pigs, and rabbits, the ducts of the testis and the caput epididymidis were found to lack adrenergic varicose terminals, as they also lack cholinesterase positive structures. Adrenergic terminals extend in the vas deferens and epididymis from the prostatic end as far as the upper mid-corpus level of the ductus epididymidis, occurring in the muscle layers and, except in the rat, in the lamina propria. In the cat, ductuli efferentes and caput epididymidis also receive an adrenergic innervation.For skilful technical assistance we are grateful to Mrs. Ulla Flyger and Miss Berith Hansson. The investigation has been supported by a research grant (B 66-257) from the Swedish Medical Research Council.On sabbatical leave from the Biology Department, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, with the aid of a Senior Research Fellowship from the National Council of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health, Welfare and Education. The use of facilities of the Department of Physiology I, Karolinska Institutet, with the kind permission of Professor U. S. von Euler and Research Docent R. Eliasson during the course of this study also is greatly appreciated.